


Hiraeth: After The Storm

by SerratedCucumber



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Canon Lesbian Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Los Angeles, PTSD, Road Trips, Seattle, Time Travel, pricefield
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-22
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-04-06 13:22:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14057862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerratedCucumber/pseuds/SerratedCucumber
Summary: A story of Max and Chloe after the events of Life is Strange, and their journey to start a new life, one that involves each of them helping the other out with their own issues, and leading up to taking over the world, just as they said they would as kids. It features several supporting characters you will know, and several others that you have not yet met.





	1. First Foot Forward

The air around Max and Chloe still held an early October mist, the grass holding up droplets of water from the torrential rain of the night before... Chloe slowly began to rub her eyelids, resting her weight on her elbow on the rusted door of the truck as the two drove down an empty highway. Max, on the other hand, was long since asleep, the collection of rewinding and general stress from the last week still burdened on her poor eyes. Chloe glanced over at her, with a kind smile, for though no one could see her, she didn't care. She hadn't felt this physically comfortable with someone since her dad was around.

Chloe pondered tapping Max on the shoulder, waking her from her sleep of innocence. However, she knew that after all Max had been through, she deserved a decent sleep. The stinging behind the older girl's eyes, however, would not let up. No amount of rubbing would subside the general feeling of fatigue and weariness. As the first calls of birds began to stir, and the morning light began piercing the branches of trees that adorned the highway, Chloe quickly decided that she needed to rest if she was going to be driving. Upon seeing a sign for a motel, She pulled into the parking lot, her truck chugging and spluttering away. The blue haired girl turned to the smaller, still-sleeping brown haired girl, debating whether a kiss on the forehead would be too forward to wake her up. She eventually decided on a boop on the nose, awakening Max from her sweet surrender of sleep.

"Mmrf?" Max let out a series of grunts and moans, before rubbing the sleep from her eyes and glancing up at a blurred vision of a very exhausted-looking punk girl in front of her; This punk girl was Chloe Price. The realisation of her choices sunk into Max's head as her brain slowly adjusted to reality again, and she gave a meek smile on her freckled face, gently closing her eyes again brushing her soft brown bob out of her face, sitting upright on the patched, brown bench of the cab of Chloe's truck.

"Morning, sleepyhead. Hope you weren't having any cool dreams." Chloe joked, knowing the weight of last night, and wanting Max to be comfortable for a while.

The smaller girl gave a gentle giggle, resting her head backwards, her face pointed to the ceiling of the truck, and she closed her eyes and sighed. "The only thing I'm dreaming of is some more sleep. How come we stopped?" She let out a long sleepy sigh again.

"I'm hella fucking tired, Max. After all of your efforts, It'd be kinda shitty if we straight up died on the side of a highway because of my shitty driving." Chloe rebutted, only half-joking.

Max was beginning to fully wake up, her eyes now more alert, and now sore, similar to her blue-haired companion. She sat up once again, glancing up at the buzzing neon sign depicting a very washed out "M-TEL". She could just about make out the pink O in the dawn light, the daybreak of the early Autumn sunlight piercing the truck cab, the cooling veil of the night now absent, the bitter reality of the world around them now pulled over the world like a pall of consequence and responsibility. As Max gave her friend a remorseful, weak smile, Chloe gently ruffled her hair, as she would've done with Rachel all those years ago.  
"Come on Max, let's at least get some grub. I'm starving." Chloe turned her glance away, and let the pain of knowing how many lives she had taken for her to be alive. She let this thought consume her, looking away with remorse as she unbuckled her seatbelt, opening up the truck door and slamming its shaky form against the body of the cab. She gave herself about ten seconds to glance over her situation, her eyes filling with the pain of knowing what she had done, what she had taken.

"Chloe? Are you coming?" Max asked quizzically, her small legs already climbing the doorway steps to the motel. Chloe's hands now resting on the edge of her car, hiding her face in her arms, leaning against her car and looking at the cracked concrete from hot Summers past. As she looked up shakily at her friend, clearly also eager for some food or rest, Chloe realised how different Max was to the anxious, self-conscious childlike figure that she had reunited with on Monday afternoon, the girl who was scared to death of Chloe's guns and cigarettes, the one who had awkwardly danced to Sparklehorse in her punk companion's messy room. Max was clearly different from the week, still her old, clumsy, cringey self; but then again, stronger, wiser, more confident. As she let the thoughts of how much more adorable and hot a confident Max was, she tried to not let her thoughts get the better of her, and finally recollected her thoughts and jogged lightly over to her friend, pushing open the doors to the motel lobby, and striding inside with her typical confident saunter.

The sickening smell of beer and cigarettes hit Max the second the girl stepped foot inside the building. It was clear it had not undergone maintenance in about 10 years, with the walls peeling and adorned with an array of beer stains. All of the furniture, from the old battered leather couches to the chipped wood of the rotted end tables had cigarette holes where cigs had been carelessly stubbed on the previously polished furnishings. The desk was manned by a very old woman, looking to be in her mid-70s. Her grey, washed-out eyes were spaced out, looking as if she was in a different time and space entirely. Her ragged, also beer-stained clothes heaved over her ancient, small body like a tent, her tiny figure almost not visible over the huge clothes. She gave a grimace to the girls at the door.

"Room's $20 a night, starting at 9. There's 11 channels on T.V and room service is available from 10 A.M to 12P.M" She sighed out, speaking with a gravelled voice as if she had broken glass in her throat. Her voice cut like sandpaper, and her tone was monotonous, giving the impression that she had clearly said these words too much to even care about the meaning, like a script.

Chloe looked at the time on her old flip-phone. 08:44. She gave an uninterested glance at the woman. "Can't we just get the room now?" She asked, clearly not willing to humour this woman or respect her.

The woman's wrinkled, grey, lifeless eyes followed Chloe's demeanour, eyeing her up carefully. "Yeah, but you'll have it for exactly fifteen minutes." She spat out, clearly sensing Chloe's lack of respect and attitude.

Max sighed, wishing she could rewind again, but she had decided not to use her power under this extreme fatigue. "Miss, I'm sorry for my friend, she's extremely tired, as you could imagine. We just drove out here from Arcadia bay; you know the place? Hold on, let me-" The small girl assured her, flipping out her iPhone, scrolling through news stories, hoping to find something on Arcadia's destruction. There it was, a news article. 'ESTIMATED 3,000 KILLED IN FREAK TORNADO, SCIENTISTS SHOCKED', read the headline. Max kept scrolling through, reading the article thoroughly.

"Last night, at around 8 PM, a waterspout was sighted around the Arcadia Bay area within the ocean around a mile away from the shoreline. Within 6 hours, the entire town was destroyed. Scientists are still baffled, but after this week of snow, dead animals and even a reported sighting of a double moon, they are beginning to suspect some sort of eco-havoc or apocalyptic nature within the Bay. Stay tuned to KAY-BAY-7 news for the full story at 9:15."

"Well, princess? God, this younger generation's killing me. Always on them smartphones, can't you remember you were talking to me, missy?"

Max looked up to see the clock had gone by 5 minutes, she had spent them reading that small paragraph. She was baffled. Was she really the time-warrior if she could lose track of it so easily?

"S-Sorry! I just found this news story. I know it seems far-off, but me and my friend, Chloe here, might be the only survivors of a tornado that destroyed the entire town last night. You must've heard the weather from here." Max smiled hopefully that they would get some sympathy from the mean, grouchy receptionist.  
Chloe rolled her eyes.

"Ah, yeah, I've heard about them there parts. Weird stuff's been going on. Heard a tornado warning last night, actually. Two Moons? A missin' girl? Someone trying to commit suicide? Mad-town. So you two are from there?" She asked, seeming a little more engaged after the smaller girl had played more into her expectations of respecting elders and such. She had a much easier time speaking to them, and she even cleared her throat, revealing a voice less like sandpaper.

Chloe nodded, trying to play along and please Max. "Yeah, we drove about 200 miles up here. We're trying to get to Seattle." She gave a half-hearted sigh, hating having to talk like this to someone, but also encouraged to impress Max and get a room faster so she could undress and go to bed.

"Oh, Seattle? God damn, how are you kids getting up there? You don't look anywhere near 20. Do you have a car? Money? Parents?" She asked, quizzically looking between both girls.

Max was the first to respond, her mouth forming the sweet words. "Oh, we're going to stay with mine until we can find a place to stay. They live up in Seattle, you see." Chloe kept silent upon hearing about parents. The realisation hit her; not only was William now dead, but Joyce must've been too. Her mother, the one who had tried so hard to make Chloe's life better, only to have her texts ignored by Chloe, all she had wanted was her daughter back, her sweet, innocent daughter who would dress up as a pirate and get good grades. Chloe looked up.  
"And my mom and dad are gone." Chloe quivered but still spoke with her usual tone. She was fighting back tears now, clearly. Max stood up tall on her toes and put her arms around Chloe's shoulder. Sensing the comfort, Chloe dropped her head onto Max's shoulder, hunching over, sobbing into her grey hoodie.

The woman at the reception was taken aback by the crying, not imagining this girl to be much of a cryer, but something resonated inside her for a moment, as her eyes warmed up a little. She gave a sigh as she leaned back, her frail figure disappearing under the counter, giving grunts as she tried to fight arthritis to grab Chloe and Max a set of tissues and a room key. Max turned to her and mouthed the words "How much again?", as to not disrupt Chloe's meltdown.  
"Take the damn room kid. They're not going to anyone anyway. Breakfast is served at 11, go and get some rest. And hey, uhm, Chloe, was it?" She asked, her gravelly voice suddenly seeming a lot more friendly and compassionate.

Chloe looked up from Max's shoulders, her stinging, tired eyes dripping with tears, bloodshot with a mix of fatigue and pain from crying and loss. She gave a puppy-like head tilt, unable to form words through her blabbering tears.

"Stay strong love. You've got a good friend there with you. I'll be around to change your towels in a few hours. Get some rest." She reached out over the desk, patting Chloe's shoulder.

"T-thanks..." Chloe was able to babble, before Max ushered her off to their room, room 24.  
The corridor was silent. Only the noise of clothes swishing and muffled footsteps hitting the musty carped echoed the hallowed halls. Max turned to Chloe, and in a low voice, as to not disturb guests as they walked to their room, she comforted her.

"Chloe, I know things seem terrible right now, but I swear to you, this isn't your fault. Things will be fine, we just need to get some sleep."  
Out from the mess of a beanie and blue hair emerged a sobbing, wrecked face, eyes bloodshot with tears and fatigue. "But mo-" she began before she was instantly cut off by her companion.

"No. Don't even say it, please. You're tired. You were driving for close to 4 hours after a night of no sleep. I'm proud of you Chloe, you're my fucking punk angel and you're being so strong through all of this, but you need to rest.", and as her friend kept sobbing without relent, Max shakily grabbed her by the wrists, stopping them walking and looking at her directly in her pained eyes. "Please, Chloe, I hate seeing you cry." And with that, she stood on her toes to meet Chloe's crying face, their soft noses almost touching. Max let go of Chloe's hands and grabbed her arms further up, by her bright tattoo, before tilting her head and leaning in for a kiss.

Chloe, still trembling, allowed her lips to make contact. Max's aroma of lavender and clean laundry hit her, while Max was comforted by Chloe's smell of cigarettes and Joyce's house. The padded motel corridors were now silent, the noise of their lips touching for the first time almost booming through the corridors.  
As Chloe's trembling lips met Max's, the two entwined into an embrace. Chloe grabbing onto Max's biceps, her hands reaching the soft fabric of her signature grey hoodie, comforting her to feel. She allowed her fingers to fumble Max's jacket as a way of comfort. Max continued to hold Chloe's arm, but with her left hand proceeded to hold her waist, allowing her to move in closer, the two girls now completely enveloped in each other. Their soft lips met lightly at first, before smushing against each other, a passion-fuelled intimate exchange of true love and promises of comfort.

Max slowly leaned down to her feet again, leaving Chloe to slip her hands off her arms, leaning backwards herself, both girls secretly wishing they could be locked in the time of that kiss forever.

"A-as much as I'd love to be PDA-Central r-right now, we'd better head to the r-room, Sugarlips." Chloe half-joked, a weak smile surfacing through her pained face. Her girlfriend simply gave a sincere, sweet nod, bowing her head slightly, before locking her fingers between Chloe's, and beginning the ritual of hushed voices and padded footsteps again, an ensemble of sounds now adorning the corridor as opposed to the sheer silence of the kiss. It was like a moment of time separate from reality; no one else could be seen or heard, just simply Max and Chloe and their footsteps. As they swayed down the corridor together, both girls physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted, they realised something special.  
They were in this together. It was time to take over the world, as they said they would all of those years ago.

Click!

Chloe watched as her smaller companion slowly heaved open the polished smooth wooden hotel door, while Max held the door open for Chloe. As Chloe scuffed her boots inside the room; she glanced up.

The room was small, about the size of Max's dormitory room, with two twin-sized plush beds against the wall. A TV and a series of old-time country paintings donned the wall. Typical Oregon hotels. The wall was yellowed, the bumpy bubbles of air now long since peeling and stained with beer and god knows what else. Chloe didn't even bother sitting, she simply hopped on one leg, desperately trying to yank her infernal boots off her feet. The taller girl turned to see Max giving a gentle, tired laugh, watching her friend fail miserably.   
"You'll end up hurting yourself." Max laughed lazily, unzipping her hoodie and tossing it gently onto a scratched leather chair across the room.  
Chloe rested her arms behind her warm neck; the musty air of the hotel room hugging her arms as she raised them. She took a moment to stretch, her entire body being pulled apart limb by limb like a puppet, before she finally released herself, letting her body go limp and sitting on the bed next to her.

The early morning sun shone in through harsh rays; the yellowed rays penetrating the wooden, battered blinds. As Chloe noticed her companion joining her on the bed, she smiled, slowly noticing Max placing her arm around Chloe's comparably larger stature. She looked down slightly and gave a gentle smile to her friend; allowing her to rest her small brown-bobbed head on Chloe's bare shoulders. As she did, Chloe leaned in further; using Max's head as a rest as they sat together, basking in the caged light of the dawn. Naturally, Chloe knew she was not in control, but she couldn't help but think of this moment as a piece of time; so picturesque, like something from a book or a movie. Her lips glowed with a sleepy grin, for despite her meltdown, her mood was a rollercoaster; taking its highs and lows by the minute. Her inner soliloquy was interrupted by the sweet, adenoidal voice; like warm butter on soft bread.  
"We really should be sleeping." She sighed out wearily.  
"Chillax, just let me have this moment?" Chloe retorted, almost accusatory; angry at Max for having ruined such a spectacular moment. "Shouldn't the photo-nerd know to not ruin the moment of a photo or whatever?" She half-joked; realising how she could've come off as aggressive, second-guessing herself.  
"Chloe Price. I didn't know we had another shitty hipster photographer among us. Now let's get some sleep swe-" She stopped herself, clearly conflicted by something. Chloe didn't bother to question it, too tired to form the words. As her partner took a few steps and drew the thin silken curtains closed, she collapsed back onto the bed, ripping all articles of clunky, uncomfortable, heavy clothing from her body and tossing it all onto the floor, aside from her underwear. She watched as the figure of Max, now wrapped under a veil of darkness; her small figure silhouetted against the curtains. Chloe watched silently as her friend undressed carefully, folding up her clothes neatly into a pile with grace and poise. She spared no expense, however, upon approaching the cold white sheets, tossing them aside and climbing into bed; engulfed in the blankets; a small piece of sushi. Chloe turned onto her back; her bare back hitting the cold mattress. As she was being lost to the sweet grasp of sleep; surrendering to its promises of solitude and peace, that everything would be okay, she heard a faint voice, blurred. Her name.  
"Chloe?" She heard, the voice getting clearer. "Are you still awake?"  
Chloe gave a brief groan, before opening her mouth. "..Yeah", The word escaped her mouth from past hundreds of layers of fatigue; her lips forming the word with all of her remaining energy before sleep would whisk her off.  
"I... I want you to know, I'm not going to leave your side. You're never gonna be alone again." Max croaked, in her brittle voice.  
Chloe pulled her lips apart to respond, but just let out a soft sigh as she nuzzled the icy blanket into her chin, losing herself as a carousel of thoughts paraded her mind, all swirling together into a quiet vortex. She began slipping from the grips of reality as the sleep came slowly, then all at once.

  
As Max slipped into her conscious body again, she became increasingly aware of the world around her. The birds tweeting were no longer part of the dreamworld that once held her captive. Her numbed limbs moved, scouring every inch of the cool sheets. The brunette girl slowly rubbed her knuckles onto her eyes, leaden with sleep, she pulled her soft eyelids open, glancing at her blurred view of the world around her. As she stared at the light flooding in through the window, she watched the small specks of dust dancing through the air of their hotel room. Her eyes were still fresh to the world, and raw; The peace of sleep had been pulled from her, severing her attachment to the land of dreams. As the small girl donned a gentle smile upon her freckled cheeks, she rolled over to her side, facing her companion. Chloe was still oblivious to the world, engulfed in her world of serenity behind her eyelids. Max stared at her for a few seconds with her smile, for while she knew that Chloe could never see this smile, she could feel it.  
"Right," Max whispered to herself, hoping to stay focused. "Let's try and pick up the pieces," she muttered, pulling her phone out of her camera bag, which had been tossed to the side of her bed. She held the power button, hoping for some battery. Her eyes lit up as the phone did too, displaying a mountain of missed calls and messages from last night. She peered at all of her contacts, looking at those she had missed messages from.  
MOM (22)  
DAD (3)   
WARREN (2)  
DAVID (3)  
UNKNOWN (2)  
And finally, a worrying number:  
KATE (37)  
Max sighed aloud to herself; ready to read possibly the last living memories of those she had killed to save Chloe. She'd start with her mom.  
7:22, FRI  
"Maxine, we heard about that storm; your father and I are very worried, please call us?"  
7:50, FRI  
"Hi sweetie maybe your phone is off, Please call me or your dad!"  
8:12  
"Maxine, your father and I are getting very worried about you! Call us as soon as you can!!!".  
8:21-8:29  
"Maxine?"  
"Honey please"  
"This isn't time for games"  
"MAXINE PLEASE ANSWER"  
"I JUST WANT TO KNOW THAT YOU'RE OKAY"  
"PLEASE MAXINE I'M WORRIED SICK!"  
"YOUR DAD IS CALLING YOU, PLEASE PICK UP!"

The texts read in a similar fashion until she read one final text. It simply read "Max". The words illuminating from the screen beamed up at her, her eyes reflecting them straight back. She decided to send a text back.  
13:21, SAT  
"Hi, Mom! I'm so sorry! Me and Chloe managed to get out of Arcadia before things got bad, and we're just out here at a motel close to Portland actually. We're heading up to come and see you. Is that okay? Love you. ~Maxine"  
As she read the onslaught of messages from Kate, all adorned with cute emojis and prayers, she knew Kate had at least survived the storm. Thank God. Max instantly replied to her, asking where she was.   
The soft sheets still hugged Max's sides as she turned over to face Chloe's sleeping face again. She gave her friend a tap on the shoulder, letting her know that it was time to wake up. "Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey", she whispered, suddenly plucking up the courage to give Chloe a gentle kiss on the cheek as she groaned and her body began to reanimate. Her eyes instantly widened upon realising she had been kissed. "M-max! I didn't realise that you were such a player!" she spluttered, flabbergasted.  
"Yeah, well someone's gotta be the confident one." The smaller girl playfully joked. She ruffled Chloe's blue mop as she began to sit up, adjusting her bangs.  
"Confident my ass. Don't fucking kiss me while I'm asleep! I wanna at least be awake for it!" Chloe joked, actually seeming somewhat angry.  
Max continued to grin at her companion before her phone buzzed against the end table, accompanied by a sweet acoustic ringtone. As she lifted the phone up and held it up to her still-sleepy eyes, she already knew who was calling her. [MOM], read the phone. Max knew she had to answer this; she breathed in.  
As soon as her finger had clicked the green answer button, she heard her mother's worried, static voice on the other end of the line, reaching out to her.  
"Maxine, honey! Oh my god, I'm so glad you're okay!" she sighed out, relieved.  
"Y-yeah, sorry. There was no reception during that huge storm." Max replied, feeling awkward to even talk to her own mother after not seeing her after a few months.  
"That doesn't matter now sweetie." She assured her daughter. "You said you and Chloe are coming up for the day?" She asked, hopefully.  
Max grimaced. She knew this would cause some tension. "Actually, mom, Chloe has nowhere to go. The storm, and Joyce, she didn't-" Max cut herself off, eyeing Chloe's hollow stare from the adjacent bed. "Look, we were wondering if we could stay over at our apartment for a few days, maybe a week or so? While we get all of this sorted out."  
Vanessa sounded troubled. "Maxine, we barely have space as it is; Our home is a mess and we don't have much money to have a second person in the house for a week. We're on a tight budget, Christmas is coming up and your Aunt Mary and Uncle Ben want us to go out and visit them."  
Max gave a long sigh. "Look, mom, Chloe and I have money; we just want somewhere to stay while we get our plans sorted out." She knew her mother would react negatively as soon as the words escaped her lips.  
"Plans? Maxine, after everything that's happened lately, the texts your father got, the storm, the thing about your photography professor you begged us to let you learn from?"  
Max was startled. "How the fuck do yo-" she began, before being cut off by her mother.  
"Watch your language young lady! What has gotten into you?" She asked her, very stern, her voice suddenly turning cold and authorative rather than doting.  
"I'm sorry;" the small girl began. "But how do you know about Mark?"   
Vanessa cleared her throat. "Maxine, sweetie, it was all over the news this morning. Something about during the storm, the police found this photo torture lab? Something about this missing girl? Rebecca or something like that?" She asked, inquisitively.  
"Oh, mom, I need to talk to you about everything that's gone on. I know you'll chew me out for not telling you, but I think you ought to know..." Max grimaced. She couldn't tell her mother of her rewinding powers. Vanessa would put her on all of the medication and psych programs in Seattle.   
Vanessa let out a long sigh from the other end of the phone. "Okay, honey. I trust that you're safe now. Your father will likely call you later. We both love you a lot, and tell Chloe that... She's welcome to stay on the couch for now."  
Max gave a wide grin from ear to ear. "Thanks, mom." she beamed. As they exchanged their goodbyes she looked up to Chloe, who she noticed had her head buried in her pillow. As the smaller girl tapped her shoulder, instead of seeing her typical lazy teenage friend trying to catch an extra five minutes in bed, she was met with a mangled, crying face. Chloe's eyes no longer bloodshot, but hollow and filled with tears. Her mouth ajar, silently yet uncontrollably sobbing. As the blue haired girl blinked, her cheeks became adorned with salty tears.

Max's fingers met Chloe's cheek to brush her blue bangs out of her face, gently threading her soft hair behind her cheek and gently dabbing under her friend's eye with a careful movement.  
"Max?" Chloe stuttered through her tears, clearly about to ask Max a question she wouldn't want to answer.  
"Mh-hm?" Max asked sympathetically while rubbing the left-over tears from Chloe's red cheeks.  
"I- Do you think that Joy- er- Mom really didn't..." She began. Max shook her head and sighed sadly, placing a comforting hand on Chloe's shoulder.  
"Chloe, Let's not concentrate on that for now. Please, we have to keep going. If your mom is okay, I'm sure she'll get in touch with you in time. She has your number, right?" Max asked, not wanting to tell Chloe that Joyce could damn well be dismembered under the counter of the Two Whales next to Warren and Frank.  
The blue haired girl nodded shakily, leaning into Max's chest, enveloping her in a cool embrace. Max instinctively supportively held her hand at the back of Chloe's head, passively playing with her blue locks gently as she rocked her companion from side to side.  
"It just... If Mom was gone, I'd- All those times I pushed her out... Ignored her... She needed me more than I needed you... I just fucking abandoned her..." Chloe mumbled, her words muffled from being pressed into Max's chest still.  
"Chloe..." She began. "You and your mom were both hurting after-- what happened, and I don't think she'd blame you for it at all. She knew you were hurt after everything and she found happiness with David. I know you don't like David, but he never took your place," the smaller girl insisted. "You were always Joyce's number one, and she still loved you. You guys just had different ways of coping." Max assured her.  
Chloe sighed, nodding determinedly at the girl as she unwrapped herself from the tight embrace. "Maxine Caulfield, not just time warrior but therapy warrior. Thanks for making me feel like I'm not a total bitch." She smiled weakly, sniffling and batting the tears from her eyelashes.  
"That's the spirit!" Max beamed gently, opening her mouth for a subtle but wide smile. "Now, let's get some food! I don't know about you, but after a week of being such a hero, some Pizza doesn't sound like a bad meal to entertain our next plans with." Max laughed, her smile forming more of a jokingly cunning smirk.  
Chloe raised an eyebrow while huffing a laugh at Max. "As long as you don't order fucking pineapple like when you'd sleep over at my place as a kid. You and Dad were the only ones who liked that shit, and he'd always use you as his excuse!"  
Max pushed her friend's shoulder gently, giving her a "know-it-all" face. "Actually, I think you'll find it's called Hawaiian pizza. And just because your dad had good taste doesn't give you a right to bash him or me!" She giggled profusely.  
Chloe gave a joking death-stare at Max through her puffy eyes. "I swear to fucking god, if you insist on Hawaiian today I'll insist on calling you Maxine forever." She grinned, knowing this would set her friend off.  
"Maxine? N-no! My one true weakness!" Max gasped for air with widened eyes, clutching her heart as she pretended to fall backwards onto the blankets and die at the mere thought of being called by her full name. She let out a pathetic "Bleh" as she her heart seemed to finally give out.  
Chloe laughed, clearly somewhat recovering from her negative emotions from minutes before.

Max knew she had to be there for Chloe and forcefully drive her out of her tantrums and bad moods. She knew it was important to her. As she looked up, she noticed that Chloe had flung the blankets off her and was pulling up her jeans casually. Max rushed to the moulded tiles of the small motel bathroom, clicking open a small vial of her eyeshadow, applying it daintily to her eyelids and yanking her old toothbrush from her satchel and beginning to scrub her teeth carefully. Leaving the bathroom, Max spied Chloe texting with a somewhat serious expression.  
"And who are you texting, Captain Bluebeard?" Max joked, pulling up her jeans and grabbing one of Chloe's old shirts from her small bag, a worn tee with the chemical symbols for Bismuth, Technetium and Hydrogen plastered across the front, from Chloe's pre-teen days. It was the only thing she had that would fit Max. As her hands fumbled around her bag, she was met with the cold paper of a sealed brown envelope with the words "HANDICAPPED FUND" plastered on the side of it. She looked up from her bag for an answer from her companion about who she had been messaging, and she was met with a shocked, cold face staring right at her.  
"Max, it's Rachel Amber's mom. She wants to speak with me."

 


	2. The Long Road Ahead

Chloe's static fingers gripped the corners of her cell phone, swiping through a multitude of messages sent by Rose Amber, She saw the small brunette girl peering over her shoulder, trying to catch a glimpse of the pixels. Chloe immediately slammed the phone shut, tossing it onto the bed; Sighing to herself, she furrowed her brows in disgust. "What a bitch. Why would you fucking text me, after blaming me for your daughter going missing? Fuck off, Rose. Your daughter was sure as hell asking for something bad to happen to her, the way she fucking acted!"

"Chloe, you don't think that way about Rachel and you know it," Max exclaimed, clearly slightly annoyed with her.

Chloe raised her eyes to lock with her companion's; the blue hues piercing each other as they stared.  
"Max, I can't stop thinking about her. The more I do, the more I realise; she was playing me all along, wasn't she? I mean, fuck, The letter she left me in the junkyard... All the time she was spending after school, the times her parents called me to ask if she was with me. She was fucking Frank behind my back, and who knows who else? I always saw that damn graffiti about her being a whore and shit, but I never cared.

Max sighed out wearily. "Chloe... Can we just get food first? Please? We'll figure this out once we're back on the road, I promise. We'll dissect what Rachel was doing, sort out what we're gonna do with her mom, and try to get a real plan going. Please, Chloe." With that, Max leaned over to the other bed to gently fold her hand around Chloe's neck. Chloe felt Max's warm lips make contact with her soft cheeks, smacking together and making a small noise as she pulled away meekly; the kiss over before it had even started.

Chloe let out a grunt. "Fine Max, we'll get food first." She looked over as her brunette companion sweetly smiled back at her, her eyes gleaming with the dusty yellow glow of the afternoon sun outside. Chloe nabbed the keys from the rotted desk of the hotel. Carefully stepping over a hole in the carpet riddled with cigarette butts, she slung her old boots onto her feet, watching Max wrap her small bag around her shoulders.  
The familiar padding and swishing of clothes could be heard as the two girls gently closed their motel door, making their way through the dark corridors of the motel back to the front entrance. Upon entering the lobby through the musty glass doors, Chloe looked upon the desk for the lady that had comforted her in the morning, yet found no one there. She let a sad smile grow on her face, feeling an odd sentiment for someone she had only met yesterday. She meekly placed the key upon the desk with a $50 bill, smiling away to herself.

Taking the lead from her companion, Chloe confidently forced the glass doors of the motel open, the cool October breeze combined with the heated Oregon sun hit her face as she walked out, the musky air that permeated the air before now washed away, replaced with a fresh airy breeze, and the scent of fields and grass from the sides of the highway pierced Chloe's nostrils as she walked down the steps of the entrance. Her boots scraped against the rocky path towards her truck. She nodded to Max, then to the truck, indicating for her to place her bag inside. As Max caught up to the truck, pulling open the rusted door and tossing her bag into the foot space. Max watched as Chloe took an old rag, climbing using her elbows onto the hood of the rusted truck, wiping down the dirt from the windscreen glass, making large dirty streaks across the window. It was hard to tell whether she had improved it or made it worse.  
A grin escaped Chloe's lips as she slid off the hood of her truck, hopping onto her feet and shooting her grin directly at her companion as she yanked open the rusted truck door and hopped inside. She raised her eyebrows playfully as Max let out a light giggle to her.

Accompanying the giggle came Max's comment.  
"You're such a fucking dork, Chloe."

By the time Chloe had turned to give Max an overexaggerated, dramatic gasp, she had already let herself devolve into a bundle of chuckles, patting her companion on the shoulder and yanking her car keys out of her pocket with the other hand. As she jammed the keys and turned them in the ignition, the beast roared to life, then began chugging along calmly. The blue haired girl held her elbow against the window, using her hand to support the side of her head and glancing at her smaller, brunette accomplice; smiling at her as the afternoon sunlight streaked through the grotty windows which had likely not been washed since the truck was made. Max looked up from the illumination of her smartphone, picking up a little late on the social cue to smile back, she then proceeded to glance at her phone again, the reflection of images and maps reflecting in her large grey eyes.

Max sighed as she swiped through pages on her phone. "Hmm... There's a rest stop kinda close... By Newberg, just outside of Portland." Chloe watched her as she glanced up. "Well? Start driving, dork!" She joked.  
Chloe nodded, putting her foot on the gas, dragging the spluttering truck out of the parking lot. She thanked Max as she placed the marker for the rest area on the GPS.  
"So, what are you feeling?" Chloe asked as she pulled out onto the main highway, now more busy than the morning past.  
"Hungry" Max laughed, digging through her bag in search of something.  
The taller girl let out a sarcastic sigh. "I meant what kind of food, Caulfield?"  
Max became flustered and embarrassed, digging through her bag more rapidly than ever. "O-oh, Um... Pizza! Obviously." Max giggled, slowly losing herself in the moment with Chloe. Seeing Chloe's sudden joking grimace, Max leaned over to her. "Is that okay?" She asked.  
Her companion huffed. "Pizza though? For one, you're gonna order fucking pineapple, and two, I'm feeling some burger and fries." She laughed, taking one hand off of the gearstick to rub her stomach hungrily.  
Slowly looking up from her bag, pulling out a small hairbrush with her and combing through her hair in the wing mirror, Max laughed. "Not like you've got much of a say in this one, I saved your life more than once AND I can just rewind before you walk into the restaurant and order first."

Chloe let out a grimacing sigh, raising her brows. "And what's fucking stopping us from just ordering pizza AND burgers?" Chloe asked, grinning impishly, patting Max's bag on her lap with the $5,000 from the Blackwell Handicapped Fund, along with Max's credit card, and Chloe's handful of chewing gum and pennies. She grinned.

Max tutted. "Chloe, we have to be careful about how we spend this; we're looking at being on the road for quite some time... I mean, what's our actual plan? Buy a house? Rent somewhere?" She asked inquisitively, not trying to deconstruct Chloe's dreams but more to bring up the topic of the future.

Chloe started to protest and argue but stopped herself. "Max, I get you and shit, but is buying an extra burger really gonna stop us paying rent?"

Max shook her head. "No, It isn't. But don't you think we'd fall into bad habits if we just made exceptions like that all the time? What's to stop us from buying takeout every night and running out of money in a month? It adds up. I'm okay getting pizza today, but let's not make a habit out of this..."

Chloe tilted her head and gave a considerate face. "True, true. Moral Maxine steps up once more to defend Careless Chloe from herself and her reckless spending habits."

Max gave her friend an "I-told-you-so" face, before smiling and leaning back in her seat slightly, letting the hazy autumn sun rest on her neck and cheeks like a warm blanket. "But, Chloe, seriously. Do you have any idea what you want to do? I mean, you don't exactly have a diploma to back you up, and you're above high school senior age. You turn 20 next year."

Chloe groaned. "Seriously, after my 3 year, ahem, break from school, I don't think I'd go back. I got expelled when I was 16."

"Why were you expelled?" The smaller girl asked her.

"I- Me and Rachel, right. We meet at this Firewalk show. Some band I got into after you left. Let's just say I got into a fight at this show-"

"Chloe Price! Getting into fucking bar fights? Are you insane? You could've gotten hurt!" Max interjected, accusingly.

"Dude, I didn't even fucking cause it. Some asshole got annoyed over a spilled beer and blamed me for it. Not my fault." She groaned, not liking the accusation from Max.

"Okay, go on..." her smaller companion encouraged.

Chloe cleared her throat. "Okay, so I went to the upstairs section; I was alone up there. This asshole followed me and threatened me and shit, clearly compensating or something, and then boom, outta nowhere, I see Rachel Amber come to my rescue, this new girl, only 15, a straight-A student, in the dramatic-ass drama club and shit, but she's fucking gorgeous in her rocker queen gear, she's so feisty and punk, and I'm the delinquent. Anyways, the next day, we skip school, I was hungover and she needed to blow off angst, so the next morning, I got expelled for repeat infractions and she almost got booted from a play she was doing."

"Damn." Max was taken aback. "Sounds like you two were off to a great start." She assured Chloe.

"Yeah, it was nice while it lasted and stuff. Obviously, it makes me hella fucking sick that Rachel cheated on me, but to be fair, by the end of our relationship, she kinda had her eyes on other things anyway. I was still the same person I was from the start, just smarter, and I guess she just changed. She wanted to just... leave, while I wanted to leave with her. It was kinda one-sided. I loved her and she liked having me around. Probably not healthy." Chloe let out, speaking truly and honestly, trying not to resent Rachel. "Anyway, in terms of future? I guess something in Chemistry could be fun. Only subject I ever enjoyed." She admitted, unashamed.

Max smiled. "That's positive, Chloe. Really good. I'm glad some things never change. I knew when we were in your room and you'd be making baking soda volcanoes and bottle rockets that you'd always have a love for science."

She was met with a set of rolling eyes as her friend huffed out. "You're so mushy and nostalgic, Max. Then again, I'm sorta the same."

Laughter came out of the smaller girl's mouth as she looked at Chloe accusingly. "Sorta? Chloe, remember when we'd go to donate clothes and toys and you'd insist on keeping stuff you hadn't worn in years?"

Chloe huffed. "Says the one who uses old instant cameras. You were worse than my fucking dad!"

Max gave Chloe a sincere smile. "It's not a bad thing to be sentimental; Chloe..."

Leaning towards Max a little and returning the smile of kindness, Chloe replied in a softer, quieter tone. "If being sentimental means driving around with you and going over all our old memories, then fuck, bring on the sentiment."  
Before Chloe could hop back onto her side of the cab, Max lunged forward, planting a gentle but firm kiss on Chloe's cheek, before recoiling back, raising up one knee onto the bench, and grinning at her companion.  
Taken aback, Chloe spluttered. "Damn Caulfield, save some for when I'm not trying to drive. Now I've gotta keep my eyes on the road while I should be making a move on you."

"Please girlfriend." Max rebutted sarcastically, pulling out her phone and flipping open her Spotify playlist labelled "Soft Songs". She scrolled for a second before stopping on a sweet acoustic song, plunking one headphone into her ear. She scooched closer to Chloe, smiling up at her as her taller friend ruffled Max's brunette bob, only taking her arm off to grind the gearbox to 5th. Max slipped her other headphone into her ear, letting the soft acoustic sounds envelop her mind. She watched as the orange October leaves blew in the afternoon breeze, a chill ever present in the air. As the song began its beautiful crescendo, Max leaned back into her seat next to Chloe, half-closing her eyelids and watching the breeze dance among the trees whizzing by.

Cars began to populate the highway Max and Chloe were on as they neared Portland, watching the signs fly by, advertising rest stops bountiful with eateries. Max tugged at one headphone as she saw a Pizza Hut billboard, advertising one just 5 miles ahead of them, nudging Chloe's arm to draw her attention towards it.

Brushing her hand against her friend, Chloe smiled. "I know, I know. We'll stop in a sec. When we get there I've gotta er- Smoke up. Hope you don't mind."  
Max sighed half-heartedly, ready to pop her headphone back into her head. "As long as you stand outside. And away from me, you know I can't stand the smell of smoke."

Chloe tutted. "Aww, little Maxine doesn't like the smell of cigs?" She joked, punching Max's arm gently.

Max held up her arms accusingly. "Hey! It's not a nice smell..." She rebutted.

Chloe chuckled. " Yeah yeah, whatever, hippie. What are you listening to, anyway?" She asked, yanking the headphone dangling from Max's hand and popping it into her right ear.

Max flicked through the playlist, spotting that Taro by Alt-J had started playing. "Oh, just some indie playlist." She smiled, somewhat embarrassed to share her musical preferences.

"Okay yeah, sure, but where do you hide your good shit?" Chloe joked. "You know, your Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, Suicidal Tendencies kinda stuff?"

Max scoffed sarcastically. "I don't think I could listen to any of those bands without getting a headache. You know I prefer my ambient stuff."

"Ambient Schmambient" Chloe joked, as she began to drive into the right-hand lane for the rest stop. "Where's the fun if you can't thrash the fuck out?"

"No, there's something peaceful and enchanting about listening to ambient music, especially late at night, when yo-" She began, before being cut off by her aggressively punk friend.

"Nerd alert. Why listen to soppy shit when you can rock and dance and get hella pumped?"

Max grinned smugly. "Then why do you still have the headphone in, if it's just soppy shit?"

Chloe lingered on this thought for a while, her hands turning the wheel to drive off into the parking lot of the rest area. She spoke quietly and softly. "'Cause it reminds me of you."

Max held her hand to her chest, smiling sincerely at Chloe and dropping her smugness. "Aw, Chloe, that's so sweet."

"Yeah yeah," Chloe began. "I sure as shit wouldn't listen to it otherwise... But it's cool, I guess. Kinda melancholic or something."

Max sniggered. "Chloe, Melancholic means sad. This song is pretty happy and calm. Do you mean Melodic?"

"Yeah, that." She muttered shyly as she pulled the truck into a parking space. The warm October sunshine beat down on Chloe's neck as she hopped out of the truck, beckoning her friend over. As Max neared Chloe's side, she wrapped her shoulder around her, swaying and walking across the lot in an embraced saunter. The cracked concrete indicated that this was a low-maintenance area, with little care for the upkeep of the rest stop.  
Approaching the grimy doors of the small Pizza Hut, Max rushed forwards to graciously hold open the heavy door for her friend, bowing humbly as Chloe walked past her.

"Gee, thanks, M'lady Caulfield." She sniggered.

"And this is the thanks I get..." Max sighed to herself, laughing it off. Her tastebuds came alive upon seeing the illuminated menus above the counter, displaying a range of pizza options. The smell of garlic and pepperoni mixed with cheese and herbs permeated her nostrils; the sweet scent engulfing the air in it's warm, greasy aroma. Max grinned. "Mmm..." She mumbled to herself.

Chloe nudged her arm, gesturing widely to the counter. Max counted two crisp $20 bills from her bag, whipping them out and shoving them into her packet as she waited her turn. It was so long since she'd been in such a commercial place; All of the shops in Arcadia Bay had been so personal and local, boasting fresh produce and cheap prices. Here, it was a sense of home; Although Max had grown fond of the Two Whales over her time back in Arcadia, it was nice to slip back into the anonymity of the city life; and she felt the atmosphere of it as the duo neared Portland.  
Watching the people walk in front of her, Max pondered about her powers; She hadn't used them since yesterday, since the storm. Would they still work? She held out her arm in front of her, hoping that the head-crushing pain would not surface again.

She was wrong. Within a second, Max's head once again felt as if it were in a vice, crushing her internally. She immediately pulled her arm down, reminding herself to never do peace signs in photos again for fear of accidentally hurting herself.

As the line became shorter and shorter, Max found herself to be the final person standing at the counter. Placing an order for a 10" Hawaiian Pizza and a 10" Chicken and Sweetcorn for Chloe, who was very eager to see that her companion had not ditched her. They ordered fries and drinks to go with it, and grinned as they got their order number, giddy with excitement as they waited for their bountiful feast. Turning her head, Max noticed that Chloe had scooped up a handful of salt packets and two straws.

"Chloe, I swear to God, you still have that much salt on your fries?" She asked, amazed at how a person could ingest so much salt.

"It's an... Acquired taste. Not something some hippie like you would understand." Chloe rebuked.

Max laughed, picking some salt out of Chloe's hands. "I'm sorry if us "hippies" aren't wanting to have a heart attack, Captain Diabetic Price."

"Blow me." Chloe joked.

Suddenly, Max heard the dinging of an order number; spotting her number on the monitor, she rushed up to the counter to retrieve her two greasy, steaming boxes of pizza, along with their small order of fries and beverages. Max set Chloe's food and drink down on an adjacent table, dusting off some wrappers and tissues from the diners before them. Popping open the drink to take a sip, Chloe's eyes widened.

"Max, I can't believe you actually remembered my favourite drink." She gasped, clearly touched.

Max smiled at her companion in the midst of laying the table in a fashion that didn't feel like they were eating from a mountain. "I guess not everything changes, right? Truth be told, I was worried your favourite drink might've changed, and the surprise would be ruined."

Chloe laughed. "Oh, what, so you could rewind and get me the right one? I bet that's already what you fucking did!"

Max shook her head at Chloe's silliness. "Yes, Chloe. That's what I did."

Unwrapping her pizza like a feral animal, Chloe brushed off Max's sarcastic comment, encouraging her partner to eat too. Max took a first bite of the cheesy goodness, the pineapple juice seeping into the warm melted cheese and tomato base of the pizza. She felt the lovely squirting of fruit and cheese mixing inside her mouth, so much so that she let an "mmm" of delight escape her lips.

She looked up, met with Chloe staring her down with wide eyes and raised brows.

"Jeez, some good pizza?" Chloe began.

Max nodded vigorously, forcing out a muffled "How's yours?" through a mouthful of pizza, ham and pineapple. Chloe ravenously devoured the pizza, tearing at it with her cheeks. She also spoke through layers of food, giving Max an answer in the form of a delighted, almost comical "Mm-mmm" sound.

 

* * *

 

  
Before long, both girls had finished their pizza and were now lazily picking at their fries, lying back in a food coma. Chloe patted her stomach, having eaten a considerable amount more than Max, she got to her feet.

"Hey, you cool if I go smoke up?" Chloe asked.

Max nodded. "Of course, just don't be too long. I wanna get back on the road for this evening. We can easy make it through Portland in a half hour, and once we're through that traffic, It's only 3 hours to Seattle.

Nodding, Chloe began to prepare her smoking essentials from her pockets, retrieving her Arcadia Bay lighter along with her pack of cigarettes, striding out of the Pizza Hut and into the parking lot, now cooler with the late-afternoon air that had now adopted a bit of a bite. She placed her cigarettes on the hood of the trunk and retrieved her phone from her pocket, scrolling through her contacts to find Steph Gingrich's name. Dialling the number, it was only two rings before Steph had picked up, her slightly croaky voice on the other line.

"Chloe Callamastia Price! How's it hanging?" She asked, clearly happy to receive a call from Chloe.

Chloe sighed happily. "Meh, it hasn't sucked too hard.

She heard Steph chuckle from the other end of the phone. "I can imagine. So, what's the word on Arcadia?"

"The word, Steph, would be storm. I don't know if you've heard, but there was a fucking huge tornado that destroyed the town." Chloe replied half-heartedly.

Steph's gasp overcame the line. "Oh my God! Are people okay?" She asked. "Let me get this up on my computer... No fucking way."

While listening to the muffled typing coming from Steph, Chloe started slowly pacing the parking lot. "Well, Steph... If there's one good thing since you graduated... We found Rachel." She admitted.

"You found her?! Oh my god, no way! Tell her I said hey!" Steph responded, giddy with excitement.

Chloe sighed into the phone. "N-no... Steph. She's-- gone... We found her... In the junkyard. That fucker Jefferson killed her."  
Silence.

"W-h-aat?" Steph trembled, in disbelief. Chloe heard her shaky breath through her ear, sending shivers through her core.

"I know..." Chloe said. "I know."

Steph, still trembling, tried to form cohesive words. "But, she was- She was fucking Rachel Amber. How?"

"It's so fucked up. Me and my, uh, friend Max are heading to Seattle to go stay with her folks." Chloe stressed with an empathetic tone, knowing how Rachel's death would've hurt her.

"Chloe, I just can't believe..." She paused. "I think I need to see you," she said determinedly. "Talk about this in person, yeah? When we can."

Chloe sighed. "Yeah, sure. It'd be cool to see you after a year. Look, I'm gonna have to bounce. Max is waiting for me, and we've gotta get on the road. Sorry to cut it short or whatever."

Hearing Steph clearing her throat, Chloe began to feel awful about telling her. Shouldn't she have waited to tell her in person?

"It's... fine, Chloe. Honestly. I'll text you later, yeah?"

"Sure. See ya, Steph." Chloe ended. As she pulled the phone away from her ear, she heard Steph faintly saying "Bye", before clicking the button and ending their call.

"Ready, Captain Chloe?"Max startled Chloe from behind; whipping around on her heels, Chloe noticed her petite companion dusting the grease and crumbs from her jeans and pushing her hair out of her face with her fingers.  
"Yep. Let's get this show on the road, Long Max Silver." She smiled.

Pulling out her car keys from her pocket and jamming them into the truck, she threw her packet of cigarettes above the dashboard, promising herself a smoke later on. She watched as Max clambered into the truck, sitting herself down on the worn seat and tossing her bag down into the footwell. Slamming both doors shut, Chloe stuck the key into the rusted ignition and grinned at Max.

Max tapped the steering wheel with the tips of her fingers, smiling up at Chloe as she did so. "Mind if I drive?" She asked.

"Shoot, as long as you don't kill us." Chloe laughed.

Max shot her a glare. "If I crash I'll just rewind!"

"What, and take your hands off of the wheel?" Chloe asked, tutting.

Max laughed, trying to shift over Chloe to get into the driver seat. As she lifted herself over Chloe's thighs, she felt the strong bump of a kiss on her cheeks. Taken aback, she gasped.  
"One for the road!" Chloe exclaimed.

"Desperate much? If you wanted to kiss me, you could've just asked, dork." Max rebutted, laughing to herself as she grasped the steering wheel ten and two, looking a lot less relaxed than Chloe while driving. Max began to tug at the key in the ignition, unable to muster up the strength to pull the key roughly in the ignition to start up the car. She pulled at it with full power, unable to do anything more than make a chugging sound. The engine spluttered as Max kept trying to drag the key around the ignition, the harsh metal of the keys burning against Max's fingers.

"You need help, there?" Chloe asked, laughing at Max's failure. The brunette girl hung her head in shame as Chloe leaned over and forced the ignition, starting up the truck.

"Thanks, girlfriend." Max smiled at her companion. "I knew there was a reason I kept you around."

Smiling back, Chloe budged closer to Max along the rotted bench of the truck, leaning into her. "Better be. Now let's get going."  
Pulling off the hillside rest stop and lining up with the rest of the speedy highway traffic, Max noticed how close the downtown area of Portland was; they were literally outside of the city.

Swaying the truck into the right hand lane, she watched the early evening sky, sea blue and adorned with black clouds. The lights of the city began to shine, the whole city of Portland irradiating a strong amber glow. The motion of the city began to quicken, people bustling rhythmically along the pavements. The buses full capacity, stuffed full of daily commuters coming off their daily jobs, their faces blending together in a sea of fatigue. Taking a still sip of Pepsi from her Pizza Hut cup, Max witnessed Portland come to life, the beast awakening from its nocturnal sleep, the veins of light slowly but surely creeping along the city as the sky faded from blue to black. The evening truly took over the city, invigorating it with the shine of a thousand stars. Pulling into the main downtown area, Max spied many bars start their nightly routines, the Cafés and stores closing their doors, and the doors of the night bars swinging open.

Max looked down at Chloe, who she had noticed now leaned her head on Max's leg, using the small girl as a pillow. "Wouldn't it be great to have a little apartment together in the city?" She asked, stroking Chloe's hair gently between her clunky gear shifts.

"Totally," Chloe said, smiling softly as she stared up at Max. "Could you even imagine how fun it would be?"

"M-hm! Just think about it! We could buy little houseplants, and get a cat called Cuddles, and hang cute pictures of us all over the walls." Max dreamed as she turned a corner.

Chloe stifled a laugh. "I'm sorry, this is hella dreamy and all, but Cuddles? For real?"

"I like the name Cuddles! It's sweet!" Max protested, before being shushed by an onslaught of laughs from her legs, Chloe looking up at her. The laughing slowly subsided, leaving Chloe staring up at Max's eyes through her arms, which grasped the steering wheel.

"I'm sorry, you're just so adorable."

Max almost instantly felt her face get hot. As she pulled into a small wave of traffic stopped at lights, she felt the need to lean her head down, taking her hands off of the wheel. Her lips slowly touching Chloe's, first just a little, then all at once. Chloe's eyes slowly closed, filled with love and passion. The interior of their truck was lit up a deep purple with the neon sign of a bar adjacent piercing the grimy windows. The hushed sound of traffic bubbling at the windows, merely background noise to the quiet sounds of lips on lips. Chloe aggressively grasped Max's shoulder, pulling herself deeper into her girlfriend's form and pushing her lips harder into the brunette girl, desperate to feel every inch of her lover. Their lips entwined as they intensely made out.

*BEEP!!!*

Max jolted upright as she noticed how the traffic had subsided, the light having turned green a long time ago. Hitting the gas with all her might, Max sped forward, leaving Chloe laughing her ass off on her lap.  
"Sorry. I heard the cars and shit moving, but, y'know, ruining the moment and stuff." Chloe joked, smiling passionately and lovingly at her girlfriend.

Max was flustered, breathing heavily from the intensity of their kiss, and from the shock and embarrassment of holding up a line of cars. "God, Chloe!" She laughed nervously.

Chloe gave Max a narrow-eyed, comforting look. "You know you love it."

"I do..." Max spluttered out without hesitation. "Believe me, I really do." She followed it up, not wanting to be awkward.

Chloe leaned further into Max's lap, watching the smaller girl focusing now intently on driving. She laughed to herself, watching as they neared the edge of the city.

As they began to come back onto the highway, driving off once again into the late evening darkness of silhouetted trees and crisp moonlight, exiting the radiant glow of Portland, Chloe, with her eyes shut, sleepily resting on Max's thighs sighed a sigh of happiness and content.

"I love you, Max."  
"I love you too, Chloe."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, a huge thank you to my friend UnhallowedDei for his expert help! Check out his amazing work: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnhallowedDei


	3. Seattle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Chloe continue on their journey to Max's parents. Will things be awkward? Or will Chloe fit right in with the Caulfields, who she has not seen in five long years?

It was night. The roadside trees crept along silently, swishing in the dead night breeze. Max peered through the windshield of the truck, scanning the black abyss that awaited beyond the weak glow of the truck headlights. The spiky silhouettes of the trees held the moonlight like a thick mesh, allowing thin rays of cold blue light to pierce through, striking down on the road. Max carefully watched the speedometer tick up as she saw the roadsign fly past; a whizzing flurry of letters that resembled "Seattle, 50 miles". The corners of Max's lips turned up, reminding her that soon, she would be able to settle down in her room and relax with Chloe. She checked the time; 10:33 PM. Between the rest stop, the further detour for gas the two girls had to make, and the traffic in Portland, the day had passed them by in a whirlwind of a car journey. Max's attention leapt to Chloe's snoozing head upon her lap, her legs spread down into the passenger footwell as she weighed down on Max's petite legs. With every breath that escaped Chloe's nose, Max smiled, feeling the steady motion of Chloe's chest upon her thigh tick up and down, reminding her of the blue-haired girl's mere presence.

Max kept her smile up as she began to scan the highway again. It was once more dead silent, only the noise of the truck's spluttering engine rumbling through the air. As Max spotted the distant pearly white glow of a gas station, she felt the need to sway the car into a fuelling bay, gently propping Chloe's head on the seat as she made a strong effort to not disturb her slumber. Stepping out of the car, Max decided it was time to give Kate a call; She had text Max that she was in Ohio with her family, under close watch and house arrest, and that Max shouldn't hesitate to call her. Eyes locked with the glow from her phone upon Kate's contact page, Max pressed the call button.

 

The response was nearly instantaneous. After only two rings, Max heard Kate's sweet voice from the other end of the line.

"Max! Oh, how are you doing?" She asked cheerfully.

"Hey, Kate. I'm doing pretty alright, and you?"

Max heard a sigh of relief. "Oh, Max. You have no idea. I've been wonderful since I got home. My dad has been so supportive of me. He even booked me in to see a therapist on Tuesday. Just so much love." Kate said, a beaming tone in her voice.

"Kate, that's awesome. See? I told you we all cared. Some people just... Become complacent with what they have. Everyone's rooting for you now, Kate. Everyone." Max assured her, not wanting to dampen the girl's spirits by bringing up the destruction of Arcadia Bay; however, she knew this was an inevitability.

"I know. I'm just so lucky I had you there to help me when everyone else forgot. You're my Golden Angel, Max. Truly, you deserve more than a pair of wings for what you did for me." Kate began, before being cut off by Max.

"Listen, Kate." She began. "I don't need any wings for just caring about you. That's what friends are for. And like I told you, friends come first. You would've totally done the same for me."

Kate sighed wearily. "Oh, Max. I could never have been as brave as you... You just showed me a new side to my situation. No one else would talk to me like I was a person, just like I was a child. Even Alyssa was very condescending... You were just real, and you showed me that I could fight this. What convinced me you were fighting for me, was when you said something along the lines of that God has plans for me. You... reminded me that I could be forgiven. Such magical words..."

Max shushed her. "Oh, Kate. You're adorable."

Max heard Kate's soft giggle from the other end of the phone; the one she had missed hearing so much. "Puh-lease." She said sarcastically. "I'm just... glad you're okay, after what happened in Arcadia Bay. I- I know you may not believe; but... I think that's God's way of repaying you."

"Aw, Kate." Max smiled. "That's so wholesome of you to say."

"I try." Kate again joked. Max smiled. Hearing Kate laugh and joke was something that had been absent for so long. She half expected her to pull out her violin, make some tea and start blasting Christian Rock.

"But... Max. Serious talk here for just a moment; I can't believe what happened to Arcadia Bay. I mean, I saw the signs, but something like that?! I just- I..." She cut herself off, before speaking in a slightly quieter, more serious tone. "I thought it was God giving up on Arcadia Bay..."

Max made an "Mh-hm" sound of agreement. "Yeah, I get that, totally. After Nathan Prescott, and Rachel... I just can't help but think the same way, Kate. If not the same, then at least along the lines of retribution."

Kate sighed aloud. "I'm just so glad my dad thought to pick up Alice before we left... You took good care of her, definitely." Max shuddered at the thought, knowing she let Alice go hungry all throughout Thursday. 'Poor thing must've been starving' She thought to herself.

"Thanks, Kate. I'm just worried about the people from Arcadia now. I mean, have you been in touch with anyone else?" Max asked. She was met with a long silence.

"...Yes. Not many people, but yes; I have. I spoke to Victoria on the phone last night. She told me she hid under her bed in her dorm until the storm was over."

Max grimaced, before remembering the horror on Victoria's face in the dark room; the blind desperation of her face, her arms bound by the tight restraints of Jefferson's duct tape, begging for a chance to live, for a chance to see Kate again. She finally decided on giving Victoria's survival a "That's good.", before inquiring about other students.

"Well... I dialled Warren a few hours ago, and his phone isn't even ringing, so I don't know... I've made a reminder for myself to call him again in the morning."

"I see..." Max sighed. She knew full well that the chances of Warren being alive and well were extremely low, but she was still in disbelief.

"Don't be disheartened Max; perhaps his phone was smashed or damaged? I'll be praying for him anyway." Kate assured Max kindly.

"Thank you... And... Did you contact anyone else?"

Kate huffed. "I texted Nathan, but I've heard nothing from him. It made me sick to have to message that psychopath."

"I can imagine," said Max.

Kate's voice became distant as she put herself on speaker phone and could be heard swiping through her text messages. "Alyssa didn't respond, neither did Daniel... Evan, um... Logan. I got a message back from Dana. After the Vortex party Dana said she and Trevor went to the dorms to... um... hang out, then Trevor kept Dana safe all night. How cute is that?" Kate beamed.

"That's lovely..." Max responded, knowing that Dana was probably one of the people who most deserved to survive the storm.

Max heard the distant call of Kate's mother from downstairs, a cold command for Kate to come down, presumably to take her medication. "Coming Mother!" she heard Kate yell, pulling her voice away from the receiver.

"I'm going to have to say bye now, Max. My mother wants me downstairs for my meds and praying." Kate sighed. "I'm sorry we have to cut things short."

"No, Kate. Don't be. We can totally chat tomorrow!" Max assured her. "I'll talk to you in the morning, yeah?"

"Of course. I'll see you later, Max."

"Bye-bye, Kate." Max responded, hearing the distant buzz of the call being ended. A smile crept up her lips as she shoved her phone into her pocket. The small girl leaned into the car, looking at the faded dashboard, noting down the fuel being on about 30%. She reached into the creased brown envelope inside her bag, whipping out a $20 bill. Her hands found themselves jamming the fuel pump into the side of Chloe's truck, gently squeezing the trigger as it neared the twenty dollar mark. She settled on it reaching $19.65, not wanting to go over and have to pay in change.

 

Shoving open the heavy door, Max's eyes darted around the store, the blinding light glowing about the room, shining against old snack wrappers and water bottles. The stoic face of the cashier glared at her coldly, his grey eyes piercing through his curly hair and staring at Max. She quickly grabbed a crisp $20 from her pocket and tossing in a pack of gum for 30 cents. Being handed her pennies of change, she tossed them into her back pocket, gently creaking open the door of the truck and propping Chloe back on her leg again. She stirred a little in her sleep, letting out a few groans, but she quickly settled down, cuddling into Max's thigh.

 

Gum had always been a thing Max kept in her back pocket. She often chewed it to help with her anxiety in public, since it gave her something to focus on, but now it was different. She smiled at the wrapper as she ripped the top seal open. This was Cherry Mint, the flavour favourite of Captain Bluebeard and Long Max Silver back in the days of Pirate adventures and hazy Summer days. She realised, as she started up the stiff ignition that throughout her Seattle days, she had habitually picked this specific flavour up, she always put it down to being her favourite, but Max pondered on the thought that it had actually been a comforting mechanism to help her cope with leaving behind Chloe. Throughout the last five years of her life, she'd always felt like she lacked something; that she and Chloe would never be reunited. She'd always felt... different. Different was the only word Max could pull out to describe it. Her life without Chloe had been so wildly different. The feeling of not having her around, she compared it to like a Sailor without his flag or an Astronaut without his rocket fuel. Max knew now, after seeing the pain inflicted on Chloe's eyes when she was shot, when David slapped her, the hopelessness and blind desperation in her voice when they found Rachel, that Chloe needed her. Chloe's life depended on it. But Max pondered. Could she really live without Chloe anymore? With a taste of their adventures and love and friendship all blossoming forth like a young rose once again, she began to realise how much Chloe had saved her. Sure, Chloe may have depended on her when she was sobbing over Rachel, over the concept of Joyce being dead, but Max recognised that she needed Chloe. More than she had understood or appreciated.

And with that, she revved up the truck, speeding out of the gas station and back onto the highway.

* * *

 

First came the glow; the sky was alight with the burning shine of a million lights, the skyscrapers of Seattle simply lanterns, and the space needle its beacon. The glow permeated the sky, engulfing the black night in light pollution and surrounding the entire city in a fiery bubble of amber. The colours twinkled on the buildings; Blues, greens, whites, reds, all encased in a sea of orange provided by the skyscrapers that held them.

"Welcome home, Max." the girl thought to herself. She smiled as she watched the mechanism of the familiar city grind once more. Though it had been just a month since her departure, Max's absence from Seattle seemed like an eternity. She embraced the homely glow of the streetlights that whizzed past her as if they were her friends, the towering structures her family. So many afternoons and nights she had gazed out of her bedroom window at the scenery around her; the city's image permanently etched into her mind.

It was about a ten-minute drive to the apartment. The half-awake duo had now entered West Seattle, the light now accompanied by mirrored counterparts dancing on the water. Max smiled, watching the sights suddenly become more and more familiar until finally, their building came into view. "Aura West Seattle Apartments" the sign read. Max smiled as she pulled the truck into the parking lot, trying to park on a high level so they wouldn't have to take the elevator, but sadly, no such spot was found.

In the hushed, grainy light of the lot, Max gently nudged Chloe's arm, whispering "Chloe..." in her ear. No movement. The blue-headed punk was truly in a coma of sleep. Max decided to try the old "Sleeping Beauty" trick, stepping out of the truck carefully, she leaned down to Chloe and planted a cold, soft kiss on her forehead. Almost immediately, slits began to emerge from Chloe's eyelids, her crystal blue eyes slowly awaking to the sense of reality around her. While oblivious to the kiss, upon seeing Max, Chloe smiled gently.

 

"We're here, sweetcheeks," Max said softly, stroking Chloe's hair gently as she adjusted to being awake. She was met with a tired groan and a yawn before her companion slowly sat up.

"Hey-hey." Her girlfriend remarked. "What'd I miss?"

"We're here. At my place." Max smiled, continuing to gently fondle Chloe's soft locks while she sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and stretching.

"Oh man, really? Shoot. Let's get inside then, meet your folks." As Chloe turned to Max, she noticed a giant circle imprinted on the side of her face from Max's jeans. A smile crept to the smaller girl's face before she burst out in a flurry of laughter.

"Huh?" Chloe asked, oblivious to the fact that Max was laughing at her.

"Oh... Chloe. Pahaha! Your face!" Max fumbled through her bag, whipping out a small makeup mirror she used to apply her eyeshadows. A disgusted look emerged on Chloe's face as she looked at herself.

"God damn it. I fucking can't go inside looking like thi-" She stopped herself. There was a long silence before Chloe sighed aloud, shrugging exaggeratively and grinning. "Eh, fuck it. What's it matter?" She smiled.

Max, still recovering from her onslaught of laughter, wiped a small tear from her eye. "There we go. Don't be such a crabby Cathy." she remarked sarcastically as Chloe hopped out of the truck, pulling her faded jacket over her shoulders.

Chloe groaned as they headed for the front door of the apartment. "No one fucking says Crabby Cathy, Max." She laughed, before noticing the mean stare of the night doorman who was eyeing her up from the inside. Max took the lead, smiling at the doorman as she approached the elevator. He stared menacingly towards Max as she pressed the button to call the elevator.

"Ey, Maxi. When am I going to get my money to repaint the wall on Floor 4?" The doorman asked in a high-pitched, almost witch-like voice. It was as if he was comically evil, a supervillain from an 80s movie.

"Lewbert, for the last time..." Max groaned as she slammed her finger repeatedly on the call button. "That was not me!"

Lewbert cackled. "Yes, it was, you sinister little cretin. I have footage of you and those friends of yours playing a prank on old Nona! How cruel, to do that to an old lady..."

Sighing, Max finally turned to the doorman, glaring him in the eyes. The confidence invigorating her. "Look, Lewbert. First of all, that was literally a year ago. Second, Nona is Kristen's grandma, she knows it was us. Third, it was actually Fernando and Jade who threw the eggs, not me. Okay? Now, will you stop bugging me every time I walk through your lobby?" Max exclaimed, clear assertiveness gleaming from her body language.

"Ey, ey Maxi. I wouldn't be so sure of yah-self. What if I told your mother you were talking to me with this tone? What'd she think about that?" Lewbert asked with a cocky tone.

"I'm sure she wouldn't give a shit either. Now please, call down the elevator. I'm going home." Max commanded, still glaring into Lewbert's eyes.

Lewbert grimaced, slamming the administrator button for the elevator under his desk. "I swear tah god, you're driving me nuts."

Max was shocked to hear Chloe's voice behind her as they stepped into the elevator. "Yeah, You didn't exactly need driving to that destination." As Lewbert began to throw insults and obscenities at the girls, the door of the elevator slammed shut, locking the two girls in silence. Max instantly turned to Chloe, her face full of laughter.

"Sick burn!" She giggled.

"Wasn't it just?" Her partner laughed back. "I mean fuck, you know when something just comes to your head and you gotta say it?"

Max's laughter started to subside. "Totally, but I never say it. I'm too shy of trouble."

"That's why you've got m-" Chloe began, before giving Max a suspicious look. "Girlfriend, you literally broke into a school overnight, pressured a drug dealer into giving you his secrets, invaded a private bunker and destroyed a town. The fuck do you mean, you're shy of trouble?" Chloe laughed as the elevator doors dinged, indicating they were on the 6th floor.

"First off, Chloe, please don't joke about Arcadia Bay. You and I both know it's too soon for anything like that... I can't stop seeing all of those people I let down... What if I could've saved them?"

Max was pulled into an embrace by Chloe, resting her head instantly on her chest. She heard the words through muffled fabrics.

"Don't you even worry yourself. I know it was insensitive of me to say that, and... I'm sorry. But don't even torture yourself, you hear me? Things are going to be okay, and for fucks' sake... You've done enough fighting. I know you're doing the right thing."

Max sighed. "You sure?" She asked quietly.

"Positive. Now come on, we've got a set of parents that need schmoozing." Chloe smiled gently in a hushed voice, allowing Max to pull her by the hand down a short set of corridors, before arriving at a door marked "44" at the end of the corridor. The air around them was encrusted with the sterile stench of cleaning products; reeking out the corridor. Max's nostrils shrivelled up at the sickly scent,

 

"Hey, you live at a 44 address too?" Chloe commented. "Hella coincidental."

"Oh yeah..." Max realised. "44 Cedar Avenue." She beamed, realising the girls had shared address numbers, even for the 5 years they were apart.

"Crazy coincidence," Chloe remarked, before gesturing to the door. "Your parents gonna be awake?"

"Totally," Max assured her with a smile. "They've said they'll... uh... wait up."

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

And with that, Max made a rhythmic series of taps on the door, her knuckles softly smacking against the brushed wood. The door swished ajar, and on the other side of it was Vanessa Caulfield, her mother.

 

"Oh, Maxine! Sweetheart!" She gushed, pulling Max into a tight embrace. "I've missed you so much!"

Max let the hug happen for a brief moment, before struggling and squirming as the embrace lingered for just a second too long. She pulled away, smiling widely at her mother.

"Hi, Mom." She blushed, pushing a tuft of loose brown hair back into her bob.

"So, so amazing to see you dear..." She beamed, patting her daughter on the shoulder. Max then noticed her attention snap to Chloe, a shocked look grasping her face. "Oh, my God Chloe! You look so different!" She gasped.

Chloe awkwardly adjusted her tall frame, still pretty much in the doorway. "Hah... Yeah... I've been working out."

Vanessa stifled a small laugh. "I think you've been doing more dyeing and piercing than "working out", my dear. But still, blue or blonde, it's still lovely to see you." Her attention once again snapped back to Max, as if she was doing some sort of air hostess routine. "Oh, your father will be so glad to see you! He's just gone out to get us some late night takeaway from Sid's."

"Aw hell yeah! Did you get the burger I love?" Max asked, her blue eyes lighting up like that of a puppy.

"Of course, honey. He should be back in twenty." She smiled, offering her arm out for Max's small bag, carefully placing it on a rack near the door. "Oh, come in! Goodness, you'd think you'd never stayed with us before, Chloe."

"Well, not gonna lie, it's been some time." She remarked, a bitter undertone to her voice.

"Yes, it has..." Vanessa sighed. "Well, Maxine says you two have a little bit of money, yes? I assume some leftover birthday stuff?" She asked.

"Oh, totally. Well, you know me. Not a big spender." Max interjected.

Vanessa looked at her sternly. "Hmm... You wouldn't think so, with your film price, but I'm happy to cash out for my little Annie Leibovitz!" She beamed, knowing her photographer references from endless talks with Max. The days spent with Max looking out of her window, her break from school, the days she would look out of the window and tell her mother about how she wanted to go to Europe to take photos.

 

"Anyway," Vanessa announced, startling her midway through her thoughts. Max realised she had been zoning out. "You and Chloe make yourselves at home, I'm going to go and get your bed ready. Chloe, I'll set up our sofa-bed for you if you'd like?" She asked, dotingly.

"...Sure, Vanessa... Thanks." Max noticed a smile form on Chloe's lips as she spoke the words. She watched as her girlfriend tossed her small bag beside the sofa and slumped down, her and Max slamming the door behind them.

Max accompanied Chloe on the sofa, smiling meekly at her as she glanced around her living room.

The room's scent was a thick lavender one, mixed with the soft smell of warm clothes that hung from the radiators, the air around Max lightly trickling with the aroma. Her eyes scoured the room, having missed her home in Seattle. The large glass window that covered the back wall was like a painting; showing a spectrum of twinkling lights adorning the cityscape. The moon hung behind the space needle, being eclipsed by the towering structure; the needle's tip shone like a stark beacon in the night sky, a challenger to the light of the moon. The window was like a live painting; with its live cars pacing the veins of Seattle.

Max's soliloquy was interrupted by Vanessa pushing through the door adjacent to the dining table. She smiled at the two girls, before sighing at Chloe.

"Oh, Chloe. Your new look reminds me so much of my high school years." Vanessa smiled.

"Mom, you did not have a head of blue hair. I've seen pictures." Max interjected, offering her mother a sarcastic grin.

"Oh, of course, it wasn't anything like yours, Chloe, but I had a few red and pink streaks throughout the years..." She fluffed up her short bob as if remembering how her hair used to be.

"Cool." Chloe remarked, clearly feeling awkward about the situation.

"It certainly was," Vanessa began dreamily. "I was in the Vortex Club, with your father, you know." She added, gesturing to Chloe.

"My dad was in the Vortex Club?" Chloe asked, a shocked look on her face.

"Yes... I remember it well, he was-"

 

Taptaptap.

 

After a series of rapid knocks on the door, Ryan Caulfield burst through the door, his arms burdened with various greasy boxes and bags filled with scrumptious food.

"Chloe!" He beamed, his loud voice booming through the house, offering her a warm smile. "Lovely to see you."

"Sup, Mr Caulfield." Chloe smiled, awkwardly gesturing a wave from the sofa.

"Mr Caulfield? I'm sorry, am I your teacher now? Call me Ryan, kiddo." he chuckled. "Honestly, you'd think we were strangers."

"Heh... Just... been a while?" Chloe remarked, still awkwardly glancing between Ryan and the floor. The awkwardness was suddenly broken when he decided to dump all of the takeaway food on the table, unwrapping the flimsy paper bagging.

"One chicken and mayonnaise burger for the short lady!" He smiled, placing a burger at Max's setting, facing the large panel window.

"Thanks, pop," Max added, making her way over to her seat to snap open her burger and fries from the small cardboard box.

"One chicken and donner kebab for Chloe!" Ryan exclaimed, pulling a kebab from the large brown bag, and offering it to Chloe from across the room.

"Whoa, you remembered I like these?" Chloe asked, a somewhat startled tone to her voice.

"Of course. You loved 'em. Sure, it's not Franko's these days, but Sid's is good too."

"Awesome. Thanks Ryan." She said. Max heard the tone of sincerity she had come to appreciate from Chloe as she snacked on her burger, she turned and patted the seat next to her, indicating for Chloe to take a seat on her left. She smiled, striding over and laying the kebab box down on the table.

As Ryan and Vanessa exchanged their foods and poured glasses of Cherry Coke for Max and Chloe, the four took their seats and began to feast. Max munched away at her burger slowly, as did Chloe with her kebab.

"So, Maxine," Ryan began. "How was Blackwell, then? We haven't spoken much since you left, have we?" He asked her.

"No, it's okay, I just spoke to mom really, didn't I? Well, it was very quirky and artsy, but at the end of the day, it was still high school and all." She answered between mouthfuls of chicken and assorted salad.

"Yes... yes. Blackwell has certainly seen it's changes over the years. I mean, not 3 years ago it was a standard school. That's crazy." Vanessa remarked. "Joyce and I were talking while all the changes were getting done... Prescott thing, naturally; God, the application process!" She pointed out disdainfully.

Max watched Chloe's attention visibly rise to the conversation, her mind lingering for a few seconds on what Vanessa had said.

 

"Wait... You said you spoke to my mom?" Chloe asked accusingly.

"Yes, dear. We've kept in touch a little throughout the years... Just letting each other know how things were and all, you know." She beamed, munching on her mini platter of fries.

"Mom didn't tell me that..." Chloe sighed aloud, poking at her kebab a little.

"Well, Joyce said that you and she had some issues along the way... You know, growing up and things. It was hard on you, I know that. Things stacked against you." She added sympathetically.

"You could say that..." Chloe grimaced.

Max sighed determinedly and made her best attempt at changing the topic of conversation. "Anyways, Chloe, what do you want to do tomorrow?" She asked her partner, to which Chloe pondered for a moment, before smiling back at Max.

"Maybe... You could show me around? Take me to your favourite places, stuff like that." She asked.

"Oh, yes!" Max grinned. "I'll take you to the park, and you could meet Kristen, Fernando and Jade!" She beamed. "They'll be stoked that I'm back in town!"

Vanessa scowled. "Maxine... They've been asking about you, you know. You haven't been answering Kristen's texts."

Frowning, Max sighed. "I know, I know." And she did; she had habitually ignored her friends a week after life at Blackwell had started to swallow up her free time and burden her. She had always been bad at maintaining long distance friendships. "I'll call them tomorrow and invite them out." She said determinedly.

"Splendid." Vanessa smiled, finishing up her platter of fries and wiping her mouth of the grease with a petite napkin. "When you're done eating here, I'll set up the sofa bed for you, Chloe, and you girls had better head to bed. It's nearly one in the morning!"

"Yeah, Mom. Will do." Max nodded between mouthfuls of fries.

With that, Max's mother stepped out of the room to deposit the greased packaging into the bin in the kitchen, leaving just Chloe, Ryan and Max at the dinner table.

"So... Chloe." Ryan began. "How did this," he said, gesturing to Chloe's blue locks. "come to be?"

Chloe smirked. "Oh. Cool story, ya know. One day I'm at this party, and I meet a gypsy who curses me with blue hair for the rest of my mortal existence."

Ryan shot her a pair of raised eyebrows, smirking as he wiped some food from his beard with a napkin.

"Nah, for real. How do you think? I fucking dyed it." She laughed.

"Stupid question, I guess!" Ryan beamed along. Max smiled amidst the conversation.

"You're both dorks."

"Uh-Huh? Would a dork have just paid for your damn food Maxine?" Her dad joked, poking her arm from across the table.

"Point taken. I'll shut up." She added.

 

From next to her, Max saw Chloe wrapping up her paper, getting up to follow Vanessa into the kitchen to throw her trash away. Her bare feet swiftly making themselves across Max's carpeted flooring. Max, having also finished her food, sat back for a moment, her stomach full and her mind satisfied. She rubbed her belly and patted it, fully advertising the fact that she was stuffed to the brim. Slowly, she got to her feet and trudged in after Chloe, who met Max in the doorway, and blocked her from passing into the kitchen; her taller frame dominating the entrance.

Max went left to right, trying to slip past Chloe, but her wicked partner simply moved her hips and leaned on the other side of the door until Max finally gave up, looked over her shoulder at her Dad, who was deeply invested in his takeout, and leaned on her tip-toes to plant a small kiss on Chloe's lips, their lovers' embrace broken as soon as it had started, as Max folded her arms and gave Chloe a glare.

"Now move."

"Yes, Ma'am!" Chloe gasped, frantically looking between Max and her parents.

"No-one saw, little miss prude." Max muttered as she shot her girlfriend a look, slipping past her to toss her paper bag and boxes into the bin.

Max heard her mother's voice behind her. "Oh my goodness, it's getting really late. You should head to bed, Maxine. What time do you want your father to wake you tomorrow?" She asked.

"Uhm... Chloe? Does ten A.M sound about okay to get up?" She called over to the couch, where her girlfriend was trying to charge her cell phone.

"Sure. Early, but sure." She gave a thumbs-up.

"Oh shush, you." Max laughed, heading over to her. "I'm headed off to bed now, Please- No wake and bake tomorrow morning?" She pleaded.

Chloe nodded. "I'll smoke outside, promise."

"Outside the building, Chloe. You'll set off the fire alarms doing it in the halls."

"Okay! Jesus..." Chloe moaned. "So fucking paranoid."

Max pressed a finger to her lip slowly, only to have it thrown off by Chloe, a little grumbly now. The brunette girl laughed and threw her arms around Chloe on the couch. "Goodnight!" She beamed.

 

"Night, Super-Max." Chloe looked up from her phone to give an awkward grin to Max. Although Max knew she couldn't kiss her, she wanted to. She wanted to kiss Chloe goodnight, tell her she loved her, that she'd see her in the morning. That she was sad that they couldn't spend the whole night together... But with Ryan right behind them... Max decided against it, heading to her bedroom, where she quickly pulled out some fluffy pyjamas with cherries on them, threw a vest over her head, and laid down on her plush bed, losing herself to the world of dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO sorry this has been so delayed. I went through a long period of final exams, then had a grand total of a month to myself. I know, selfish. Now, I've finished Chapter 3, and 4 is soon on the way. Hold tight, I haven't abandoned Hiraeth yet!!!

**Author's Note:**

> An absolutely HUGE thank you to my friend UnhallowedDei for helping me out with my first fic! Here's his AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnhallowedDei/pseuds/UnhallowedDei


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